Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Home away from home
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Randy,
Yes the block was stamped 5588-1035. When I went to look at it, 20 + years ago, Haden came with me and noted that the casting numbers on the heads looked like 56 not 55 numbers. The engine was caked with gunk, and rust, but it did have the 56 bronze paint in places we could get to. After purchasing the car, I looked up the tags on the carburetors, and the were the 56 ones. I will have to look at the date of the block, it did have the oil pump with the plug in it. The car had a 56 crest on a 55 Caribbean hood. When I started exploring the car more, I came to the conclusion that it had been in a wreck at sometime in its life. I think that was proably when the engine was changed. The right side of the cowl had been hit and worked over, in lead. The fender was changed, but was not a convertible one, not set up for the brace. The door had been replaced with one with a Packard Atlanta tag on it. The quarter panel had also been replaced. So my assumption (we all know what that means), is that it had its accident late in 55, or early 56. I am not sure anyone would have fixed a Caribbean with that much damage after Packard went away.
Posted on: 2013/2/7 14:45
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Forum Ambassador
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I should look this up, but did 55-56 use the I in the 1st position, or what has been the the 1st position number/letter
First, the "I' is just the number 1, albeit in a different style. Body dash numbers began in 1929, perhaps with 000001 or maybe 000011, the lowest we know of it 000051. Then they just progressed in numberical order until they reached 999999 in 1950 or early 1951. Then, rather than add a 7th digit they went to a letter prefix, starting at A00001 thru A99999, then B00001 thru B99999, etc. With the exception of a couple of 55 cars with either no number or a number taken from the 1936 range (22XXXX), all the 55/56 cars began with either a "C" or a "D". The "C" series actually began towards the end of 1954 production. The cars with a "1" (or "I" if you insist) in the first position would be those made after 099999 and before 200000; this corresponds roughly to 1930 thru 1935. None of this has anything to do with Utica Engine Numbers, we probably should have split this off a long time ago.
Posted on: 2013/2/7 14:57
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Home away from home
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I was able to get the number off the firewall #025993"
I understand you didn't mean anything by the question about the firewall though its always interesting to know
Posted on: 2013/2/7 21:06
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Forum Ambassador
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Take a closer look, I think you'll see the first character is a "D", so it's D25993. None of the 55/56 stampings are as distinct as the prior years so it takes a sharp eye. Look particularly at the four corners of the character; those on the left upright should be crisp right angles and those on the right will have a very slight radius.
Posted on: 2013/2/7 23:15
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Home away from home
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The cast date on my block is 4-11-56, 440971.
On the boss next to the oil filler pipe is stamped C1488 and unerd that is 5588-1035.
Posted on: 2013/2/8 0:11
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Forum Ambassador
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I believe C1488 to be the Utica Plant number, "C" denoting a Caribbean engine and 1488 denoting the 488th such engine built.
Posted on: 2013/2/8 9:11
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
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Home away from home
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I got the engine rebuilder to get the firewall number for me, I believe it may have been misread and is would be a D not a 0
Posted on: 2013/2/9 6:56
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